Dr Balekudaru Shantha

Director of the departmen... Sankara Nethralaya

Dr.Shantha, born on 8th Sept.1960, obtained her M.B.B.S degree from Stanley Medical College, Madras, India. She went on to get a Diploma in Ophthalmology at Joseph Eye Hospital, Tiruchirapalli in 1986 and thereafter became a Diplomate of the National Board after training at Christian Medical College, Vellore with Prof. Ravi Thomas from 1989 to 1990. She has undergone special training in Glaucoma following an observership programme in the US with Dr. Robert Stamper, California Pacific Medical Centre, USA, with Dr. Roy Wilson, Jules Stein Eye institute, Los Angeles USA, with Dr. Rand Allingham, Duke University, Durham, USA and with Dr.Robert Ritch, New York Eye and Ear infirmary, New York, USA.

Her academic achievements include the following:

Lt.Chalmer’s Gold Medal for Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Best paper award for the paper on ‘Ocular Manifestations of AIDS’ at the Tamil Nadu Ophthalmic association meeting in 1993 at Tuticorin , India.

Best paper award for ‘Hypotony in primary trabeculectomy with adjunctive antimetabolites’ at the Asia Pacific Association of Ophthalmologists’ meeting held at Taipei, Taiwan in 2000.

The Ruby Banik Award for the best research paper,” Risk of loss of central vision following glaucoma filtration surgery in eyes with split fixation.”: Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai in 2011

She is a member of various national and international Ophthalmological societies. Currently she is the secretary of Glaucoma Society of India. She has trained several postgraduates as well as fellows. She has presented her research work at various national and international conferences and has about 30 publications in various reputed international journals. She is currently the Director of the department of Glaucoma at Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India.